Man, that was a Hitch!

Have you ever needed an extra set of hands to help with a project when nobody was around? Well, tonight turned into one of those manly nights whereby I improvised and made good with what I had; my two hands!

I put a hitch on my car (yeah I know sound redneck but I don't care) so I can use my hitch rack to transport my motorbike. So, the instructions say it will only take 30 minutes. Well, perhaps it would take only 30 minutes if you had the second set of hands to help. For me, it took an hour and a half to complete this little project. Regardless of the time, I feel like it was a success and I'm happy to have that project completed.

I did it all by myself and the entire time I thought how grateful I am that I don't have to work on cars for a living. Don't get me wrong, for those that enjoy it I respect them, but for me I would not want to do that every day. I couldn't help but think of my friend Devin who is a very talented mechanic while wondering how long this silly little project would have taken him; Thirty minutes? Yeah, I'm sure he would have completed it within 30 minutes or less.

It wasn't so much that it was difficult, it was just that I could have used a second pair of hands while putting the hitch in place, reaching for tools, lowering the exhaust, and torque the bolts to the right lb/ft. However, I'm glad that it is a project that I can cross off the list.

Now I just hope that I can get out and ride my motorbike!

Saratoga Splash!

This weekend was pretty fun. I saw Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband perform at the Saratoga Splash. It was a fun night and I enjoyed the music very much. I was introduced to the band when I was in college. It's great to see that they are still doing what they love and trying to break into the mainstream music business. It was a beautiful night and I enjoyed the cool summer air surrounded by a few friends. For more information about the band check out their website: http://www.shupe.net/

Father's Day

Today is a special day for fathers throughout our country. More importantly, it's a special day for me to pay tribute to my father. He is always there for me and has helped me in many ways throughout my life. He has a wonderful way of comforting me in times of need even though he lives 500 miles away.

Dad, thanks for being there for me; thank you for giving advice, encouragement, discipline, help, kindness, and love. You are a wonderful father and I appreciate all that you do and have done for me!

Someday, if I'm fortunate to become a father, I hope to be at least as 1/2 as good of a father as you have been to me. I'd consider that a success.

Happy Father's day!

Good bye BWT!

Life has it's moments whereby one feels great sadness and emotional connection to a variety of things. Well, I've been dealing with exactly that the past few months. I love my truck. I've always had a truck ever since I graduated from college. They are very nice to have for many reasons. However, I have said my sad goodbye to the BWT. Not becuase I wanted to, but because of obligation to other important things, my mortgage, and future retirement. You see, I drive 280 miles each week back and forth to work. Keeping the truck just did not make sense at this point in time with the economy the way it is. So, I made one of the most difficult decisions in my life (I know what you are thinking.....this is really pathetic) but I said my goodbye to the BWT. The good news is I worked out a great deal on a car that is really nice and will save a significant amount of money each month, and a lot of money each year. For now, the car will serve my needs and I'll still be able to get my motorbike around to Idaho for an occasional ride.

Fairwell my good friend known as The BWT!

Price, UT

This weekend I went to Price, Utah. Camping was fun. The weather was pretty good for the most part. I am lucky to have a great younger brother and his in-laws. They are all good to me and I'm very appreciative.

We all enjoy the races and watch with great anticipation for the start of each moto. Thanks Scott for creating another reason for all of us to get together again and enjoy each other's company.

These pictures are from the same race in 2006.

Mountain biking!

Yesterday I wanted to get a nice ride in before the weather was expected to change into rain, so that's what I did. I rode the Little Cottonwood Canyon trail two times. Yes, that's right, two times. Many of you know the trail already, but it is about 3.5 miles uphill and then you turn around and rip downhill. It was so much fun the first time, that I had to do it again the second time. I felt great and it was so nice to be out yesterday. I enjoyed spending the time in the mountains. The creek is raging, the trees are green and full of leaves, and the trail was dried out all the way to the top.

There were quite a few other riders, runners, and hikers out on the trail. Even though that was the case, I felt the pleasant solitude that comes from being in the mountains. Recently, I got a free Ipod for test driving a new car that I was considering buying. The car did not work out, but the Ipod was sure nice to have along for company.

Many more days and nights will be spent riding my bike. Great fun and a wonderful way to keep fit. Ride on my friends and keep the pedals turning!

www.utahmountainbiking.com

A new idea?

Well, I've enjoyed having a glimse into the lives of my family and friends around the world through blogs and I decided to join in and share a little bit of what goes on in my life. Nothing too exciting, but here is to new adventures.